From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishstandardstan‧dard1 /ˈstændəd $ -ərd/ ●●●S2W2 noun1level of quality/achievement [countable, uncountable]LEVEL the level that is considered to be acceptable, or the level that someone or something has achievedStudents have to reach a certain standard or they won’t pass.The airline has rigorous safety standards.standard ofThe committee is assessing the standard of care in local hospitals.2 →standards3measurement [countable]USUALLY a fixedofficialrule for measuringweight, purity, value etcan official government standard for the purity of silver4song [countable]APM a popularsong that has been sung by many different singerspopular jazz standards5flag [countable] old-fashionedD a flag used in ceremoniesthe royal standard →double standard, living standardCOLLOCATIONSverbsmeet/reach a standardMany food businesses fail to meet basic standards of hygiene.set/lay down a standardThe government sets standards that all hospitals must reach.raise/improve standardsWe are determined to raise standards in our schools.lower standardsHe refused to lower his standards.maintain standards (=keep them at a good level)Television companies should maintain standards of taste and decency.standards improveThe standard of this festival improves every year.standards fall/slip/declineSchool inspectors say that educational standards have fallen.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + standardhigh/goodThe standard of their work was generally very high.low/poorThe report says the standard of children’s diet in Britain is poor.acceptable All too often their behaviour has fallen below acceptable standards.stringent/strict/rigorous/tough standards (=high standards that are difficult to reach)The Marines’ rigorous standards mean that only a small proportion of applicants are successful.international standardsClearly there is a need for international standards to be laid down to govern food safety.safety/hygiene/quality etc standardsAll our products meet the current safety standards.academic/educational standardsThere had been a policy of raising academic standards within the school.environmental standards (=to protect the environment)They called on the Indian government to apply stricter environmental standards.professional standards (=within a particular profession)The institutions have an evident interest in maintaining professional standards.living standards (also standard of living) (=the level of comfort and the amount of money people have)Living standards at all income levels improved over that period.phrasesan improvement/rise in standardsThere has been an improvement in living standards.a decline/drop in standardsThere has been a general decline in standards of literacy among undergraduates.be/come up to standard (=be good enough)Her work was not up to standard.be below standard (=not be good enough)His performance yesterday was below standard.by modern standards/today’s standardsThe technology was crude by modern standards.by our standards (=judging by what we are used to)The equipment was very old-fashioned by our standards.by British/African etc standardsClass sizes are small by British standards.